The Heart
by BrainBoww
Summary: What if Orihime tried to stop Ichigo from delivering the final slice to Ulquiorra? Rated K for mild gore. UlqiHime
1. Chapter 1

Pairing: Ulquiorra x Orihime

Rating: PG – Gore

Synopsis: What if Orihime tried to stop Ichigo from delivering the final slice? She heals Ulquiorra with Shoten Kessu and repairs his organs and he LIIIVVVEEES. Picks up from chapter 351.

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach in any way, shape, or form.

"Boo!" - Speaking

'_Boo!' _ - Thinking

_BOO!_ - Sound Effects

**-:-:-**

"You think this will make me hesitate?" Ulquiorra questioned a hollowized Ichigo, preparing a lightning-lance in his right hand. "Don't underestimate me!"

"Kurosaki-Kun! Please stop!" Ichigo's mind couldn't register Inoue Orihime's cries of desperation as he forced his bare hand onto the lance.

'_Impossible, barehanded…?' _

Energy and smoke beams shot from the joined hands of the fighters. As the dome-top cleared, hollow-Ichigo exhaled threateningly to a shocked Ulquiorra's face.

"Stop it Kurosaki!" Ichigo slashed his right hand downward into Ulquiorra's shoulder and slicing diagonally down to his hip.

"He… won…" Ishida breathed as Ichigo stood triumphantly over his victory.

"Damn it…!" Ulquiorra said as he calmly turned his focus onto Ichigo. "I can't believe… I was beaten by some human turned Hollow… How ridiculous…"

Ulquiorra's head was forcibly pressed into the concrete beneath him as Ichigo slammed his foot down. A cero was charging in-between his horns as he looked down upon his kill.

"I see… No mercy, eh? How very Hollow-like." The beaten Espada's eyes narrowed as he glared up at Ichigo. "I don't care. I have no reason to live now that you've beaten me." The cero was ready.

"Kurosaki-Kun! Don't!" Orihime ran and slammed into Ichigo as hard as she could to prevent him from firing. The cero in-between his horns faded as he stood menacingly over the girl's trembling form.

"Inoue! What the hell are you doing!?" Ishida's panicked voice came from where she was but moments ago.

"Stupid woman," came a strained voice from next to Orihime. Ulquiorra's pale yellow eyes were trained on her, but his face showed no emotion.

"You… help…" The startled girl looked up at Ichigo to see that he had begun advancing towards her. Fear squeezed her heart tighter and tighter with each step he took until he was standing directly in front of her.

"I'll… help… you…" Orihime's eyes widen as she saw Zangetsu slowly being raised up over the Hollow's head. Gray eyes clenched shut as the zanpakuto was brought down.

**-:-:-**

OHMYGOD. A multi-chapter story. I've never done one before, so please bear with me. I was originally writing this to be a one-shot. But ugh, who wants to read a seven page one-shot? I wouldn't. (Unless it was awesome)

I tried to stick to the manga (when, of course, I wasn't making up my own story) as best as I could.

Please continue reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Pairing: Ulquiorra x Orihime

Rating: PG – Gore

Synopsis: What if Orihime tried to stop Ichigo from delivering the final slice? She heals Ulquiorra with Shoten Kessu and repairs his organs and he LIIIVVVEEES. Picks up from chapter 351.

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach in any way, shape, or form.

Author's Note: OH HELL YES. 3 I submitted chapter one around 2 a.m. and by 3 p.m. the next day I already had a couple reviews, a bunch of favorites, story alerts, and author favorites! Thank you so much everyone! I'm going to try my best to update at least once a week for you all. 3

"Boo!" - Speaking

'_Boo!' _ - Thinking

_BOO!_ - Sound Effects

**-:-:-**

"I'll… help… you…" Orihime's eyes widened as she saw Zangetsu slowly being raised up over the Hollow's head. Gray eyes clenched shut as the zanpakuto was brought down.

"Inoue move!" Ishida screamed.

Inoue braced herself as time seemed to slow down and everything came into focus. She could hear Zangetsu slicing through the air. She could smell the blood and sweat that seemed to surround her. She could almost taste the fear of dying on her tongue. She could feel the cold hand grab her forearm and force her backwards.

Inoue was thrown to the cracked tiles and looked up to see Ulquiorra's upper torso land next to her, while his lower half was blown away.

"Ulquiorra-san!" Bored yellow eyes settled on her small frame.

"You… are a… troublesome woman…" Tears began to swell in Inoue's eyes as she looked at her savior.

"Inoue… I'll… save… you…" Ichigo began to take slow steps towards the pair, Zangetsu being raised once again.

"That's enough Kurosaki!" Ishida grabbed a hold of Ichigo's arm. "You've won! He may be the enemy, but there's no need to carve up his corpse..."

The Hollow stared at his companion, considering his words. A small growl could be heard from under the mask, and then flung him off his arm into the nearest pile of rubble. Just as Uryū landed, a zanpakuto was thrust into his abdomen.

"Even attacking your own comrades…? You… certainly have become… a Hollow…" Came Ulquiorra's voice, still showing signs of apathy.

"Inoue…" Ichigo yanked his sword out of Uryū and resumed his advance upon the espada and human, Zangetsu gleaming in the artificial sunlight.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened when he felt a body lay itself over him protectively.

"You've won Kurosaki-Kun!" Orihime cried, tears spilling down her cheeks onto Ulquiorra's chest, into his Hollow-hole. "Please, leave him be!" It wasn't working.

Kurosaki Ichigo was lost within the Hollow mask; and getting it was coming closer.

"Ulquiorra-san protected me when you weren't here Kurosaki-Kun!" The Hollow stopped. "He's my friend!"

As Inoue's words echoed in Ichigo's ears, the mask began to blow away. Only to circle above the teen before slamming into his chest, filling the Hollow-hole. Ichigo collapsed onto the cracked white tile.

'_Kurosaki-Kun needs help but…'_ Inoue looked down at Ulquiorra's face to see him staring back at her. _'Ulquiorra-san needs to be healed first.' _She lifted herself off of the espada's body and a flash of determination flashed across her gray eyes.

"Woman… if you plan… to kill me, then…" Ulquiorra started.

"No one is going to kill you Ulquiorra-san," Inoue started, standing up and holding her hands out in front of her, "I'm going to heal you." The small woman inhaled deeply. "Shoten Kessu, I reject".

Two sky-blue petals plucked themselves off of Inoue's hair clips and created a half-oval shape over the wounded espada's body. The orange dome began to glow gold as Orihime closed her eyes to concentrate. From inside the dome, Ulquiorra was staring at the girl like she had grown another head.

'_Is this girl really that stupid?_' Pale-yellow eyes widened as he felt a warm sensation start to fill his body, particularly in his left shoulder and waist line. This kind of healing technique was so much different than Szayel's methods. When Ulquiorra went to the Octava Espada to be healed, he always felt cold and invasive. But this girl... she felt _warm_.

Maybe Ulquiorra could close his eyes, just for a minute. The only people who could do him any harm were currently incapacitated. And this idiot girl wouldn't hurt him, he was sure of that.

It was only a _minute_.

**-:-:-**

Not gonna lie, when Ishida got speared by Ichigo, I laughed. Hard. Not because I hate Uryū, in fact I like him a lot. It was just so… unexpected? But expected at the same time. IT WAS JUST FUNNY OKAY?

(Hollow-hole is a fun word combination.)

Orihime needs to heal Ulquiorra in the manga/anime. She could totally do it. She brought Grimmjaw's arm back from the depths of hell, why can't she bring Ulquiorra back from dust?

Please continue reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Pairing: Ulquiorra x Orihime

Rating: PG – Gore

Synopsis: What if Orihime tried to stop Ichigo from delivering the final slice? She heals Ulquiorra with Shoten Kessu and repairs his organs and he LIIIVVVEEES. Picks up from chapter 351.

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach in any way, shape, or form.

Author's Note: Thanks so much everyone, I'm really trying to keep this story up to pare for you guys. So keep the reviews flowin'!

"Boo!" - Speaking

'_Boo!' _ - Thinking

_BOO!_ - Sound Effects

**-:-:-**

When Ulquiorra regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that that awful artificial sun was too bright; his eyes were closed, and it was still agitating. The second thing he noticed was that his head was on something warm. The third is was that he was previously in battle.

His, now emerald, eyes snapped open to stare up into a very well endowed bosom. The smiling face of Inoue Orihime appeared just behind the masses; he felt his body instinctively tense.

"Ulquiorra-san!" If it were possible, that stupid smile on her face got even wider and her gray eyes lit up. "I was so worried that you wouldn't wake up, since Kurosaki-kun hurt you so badly. For a minute there, I thought you weren't going to wake up and then you went back into your 'normal mode' but it was okay since Uryū said that that it was probably a good sign, oh! I'm just happy that you are better Ulquiorra-san!"

Ulquiorra just stared. '_How is this girl still talking?'_

Within an instant, the Cuatro Espada was standing over the girl, staring down at her with his hands shoved in his pockets. His eyes quickly glanced around the area. Almost everything was the same as before; crack tiles, mountains of rubble, the crater he'd been slammed into. But the two men that came to rescue Inoue Orihime were nowhere in sight. His eyes flicked back down to her.

Inoue stood up as well, smoothing out her hakama. She walked towards Ulquiorra and looked up at him, curiously peering at him. Small hands slowly lifted from her sides and reached for his face. Inoue jumped when Ulquiorra blinked, but found he moved no more than that.

'_What is this woman doing?_' Ulquiorra wondered, '_She knows she poses no threat to me, so why does she continue her advance?'_

Soft fingertips gently ran over smooth, white skin before they traced the green lines down Ulquiorra's cheeks. Inoue's eyebrows crinkled in confusion as she ran her fingers back up the marks. A broad smile broke out onto the girls face.

"What is it?" Inoue's gaze flicked from his cheeks to his eyes. They stared back at her, hard and… curious? There was something more to it. It was almost as if he was gazing at her.

"I've always wondered if these were make-up." She smiled up at him again, thumbs tracing over Ulquiorra's tear-marks absent mindedly as her gray eyes slowly fell back down to his cheeks. "I tried imagining you applying these every morning. But then I couldn't figure out if you used an eye-liner pencil or if it was a liquid…" Her rambling died off slowly when she looked up to eyes again.

Ulquiorra's eyes had slowly closed and was slightly leaning into her touch. The warmth that was coming from her small hands felt as comforting as the time she'd healed him. He couldn't help it, after all the time he'd spent in Los Noches he became accustomed to feeling cold.

"Why," Ulquiorra demanded, opening his eyes; they were back to their usual hardness. Now was not a time for questions, he wanted answers.

"Why what Ulquiorra-san?" Inoue asked, lowering her hands back to her sides.

"Why did you heal me? I am not your ally."

"Because you are my friend." She smiled as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Emerald eyes widened a fraction, that had not been the answer he expected.

In an instant, Ulquiorra had his fingers around Inoue's throat, thumb pressed against her esophagus. He pulled her forward and bent down so they were nose-to-nose, his other hand casually in his pocket.

"Woman, what makes you think that I cannot kill you?" The espada lifted Inoue's chin so she was staring into his eyes, his breath tickling her flushed cheeks. "Your nakamas are not here to save you. I am far more powerful than you. Aren't you scared?" Ulquiorra's eyes shifted to the side. "I know you are there."

Uryū stepped out from behind a pile of rubble, Ulquiorra's sword in his newly healed hand. Surprise, anger, and confusion etched on his face.

"Get away from her Arrancar!"

"You are in no position to give me orders," Ulquiorra said, straightening his back once again. "You are not strong enough to defeat me. And I have the woman in my grasp."

"What is it that you want?" Ishida asked, his hands twitching to activate Ginrei Kojaku.

"Where is Ichigo Kurosaki?"

A small shaky hand came up to touch Ulquiorra's wrist. Both Ishida and Ulquiorra cast their gaze towards the ginger-haired girl. Inoue smiled when she looked up at Ulquiorra, that's when he noticed how pale she was.

'_She must be exhausted.'_

"I'm not afraid… Ulquiorra-san…"

The last thing Inoue saw before her vision went black was Ulquiorra stoic expression change to slight shock before she felt her body slump against him, hearing Uryū shout her name.

"Inoue!"

**-:-:-**

I know, I lied. It's been more than a week. u__u;; It was actually really hard to write this chapter, I'm still not in love with it. Fricken Ulquiorra is so apathetic for EVERYTHING in existence, it's hard to write for him.

In attempt to make amends, I added a fluff in there for you. You'll be lying to yourselves if you've never imagined Ulquiorra applying his lines.

Please review and continue to read!


	4. Chapter 4

Pairing: Ulquiorra x Orihime

Rating: PG – Gore

Synopsis: What if Orihime tried to stop Ichigo from delivering the final slice? She heals Ulquiorra with Shoten Kessu and repairs his organs and he LIIIVVVEEES. Picks up from chapter 351.

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach in any way, shape, or form.

Author's Note: So sorry for the mini-hiatus my darlings. I got a job, college is starting, and… I really don't know where I was originally going with this story. I'm trying my hardest to keep Ulquiorra in character and seeing where the manga leads to feed off of it.

"Boo!" – Speaking

'_Boo!_' – Thinking

_BOO!_ – Sound Effects

**-:-:-**

"Arrancar, this is the last time I will say this! Tell me what you did to Inoue!" Inoue Orihime opened her eyes only to snap them shut again; the fake sun was to bright to look at.

"I will repeat myself as many times as necessary. I did not harm the woman."

Inoue winced; their raised voices were making her head pound. Uryū was almost yelling while Ulquiorra was speaking sternly and forcibly, almost mockingly. She began to sit up when she noticed that their yelling, thankfully, stopped. Her grey eyes flicked upwards to see Ulquiorra and Uryū staring down at her. The Quincy lowered his arms and the Espada kept his hands in his pockets.

"Inoue!" Uryū bent down to help Inoue to her feet, as she was shakily propping herself on her knees.

"I'm fine Ishida-kun, I can stand." She smiled up at her friend and glanced over to Ulquiorra; he was looking as indifferent as ever. Something about him seemed… almost different. He was looking at her, not glaring, sneering – simply looking.

"Is there something wrong Ulquiorra-san?" Inoue was used to the Espada studying her, even scrutinizing her. But he's never just _looked_ at her. Ulquiorra just moved his eyes away from Inoue and glanced over the edge of the tower.

"Yami is fighting with two captains." As soon as the sentence ended, the tower violently shook.

"Inoue!" Uryū reached forward to stabilize the girl, but she was already having trouble staying upright. Just as Inoue's fingers were in the Quincy's grasp, she was no longer falling.

Inoue looked over her shoulder to see Ulquiorra standing behind her, bracing her. Not holding onto her or grasping her in anyway, just simply letting her lean against him for support. She smiled slightly, and he just looked at her.

"Woman, are you going to continue being weak, or are you going to move?" While most people would have taken that harshly, Inoue continued to smile. After spending so much time with Ulquiorra, she knew that his words held no real malice.

"Inoue," Uryū grabbed Orihime's wrist and pulled her over to his side, "Inoue, we can't trust him. He's an Arrancar! He's one of the bastards who kept you here for so long!"

"But Ishida-kun. Ulquiorra-san was the one who protected me the entire time I was here!" Inoue turned her large, glittering, grey eyes to look at him.

"He wasn't protecting you! He was your prison guard. He was there to make sure you didn't leave!"

"That may be, but I trust him and he protected me when that Spoon-man came into my room!"

"He was just-wait, what?" Uryū was stumped. He knew Hollows came in many shapes and sizes, but could they really look that similar to common utensils?

"Nnoitora Jiruga, the former Quinta Espada." Ulquiorra's tone was as flat as ever, but Inoue knew he found it slightly amusing. She couldn't explain how, but she just _knew_. Her grin widened again.

"Yes, that's it!" Orihime turned back to Uryū. "His collar was huge Ishida-kun! It went way above his head and was round!" She lifted her arms and framed her head.

Uryū just stared at Inoue. How could she trust an Arrancar? He was the one who brought her to Hueco Mundo in the first place! He yanked her to his side once again.

"Inoue, listen: You can't trust him! He was made by Aizen to fight us!" Uryū glared at Ulquiorra. "What were your orders concerning Inoue?"

"To keep her alive and useful to Aizen-Sama," Ulquiorra replied. Uryū turned his gaze back onto the ginger-haired girl.

"See Inoue, he only protected you because of orders! You mean nothing to him!"

Inoue gave a light smile to Ishida, gave a quick side glance to Ulquiorra before look at her friend.

"I know Ishida-kun, but he means something to me." Ulquiorra felt something stir within his chest. Whatever it was, it was small. But it was there.

"He will kill you if given the order!" Uryū was frustrated, and the frustration was turning to anger. Why can't she see that he could kill her at any point!

Inoue's eyes hardened.

"He could've but he didn't. Aizen changed the orders so he didn't have to protect me! Ulquiorra-san has saved me from Meloni, Loly, Yami, and Kuro…saki-kun…" Inoue's voice lowered as the reality of Ichigo attacking her set in. Ulquiorra's fingers twitched in his pockets.

Inoue pulled her wrist from Uryū's grasp and darted over to the Cuarto Espada. Slender arms made their way around a slim waist as a head full of long red hair pushed itself into the center of a lean chest.

Ulquiorra's eyebrows were raised, staring down at the girl while Ishida gaped at the girl. The warm feeling was back, like the time when Inoue had healed him and when his head was on her lap. But this time, it was much stronger.

"See Ishida-kun? If Ulquiorra-san wanted to, he could kill me right now," Inoue's voice was muffled by Ulquiorra's chest, tickling it with the heat of her breath. "I trust him."

'_Is this woman clueless or just that stupid?' _Ulquiorra was staring down at her with wide eyes. All he could see was red hair, but he could feel an ever growing warm spot on his chest. _"Why didn't she run to her nakama?"_

Ulquiorra slowly removed him hand from his pocket and let it hover the frail girl, unsure of what to do. Emerald eyes flicked over to the Quincy and saw that his jaw was agape, eyes wide, and shoulders slouch. A swell of pride grew in the Espada's chest at the human's dismay.

Slowly, the white hand settled itself on Inoue's head, offering what little comfort it held. Inoue's hands clenched at Ulquiorra's back.

"Woman, we must find Kurosaki." Uryū regained his composure.

"Why do you need to find Ichigo, Arrancar?" His eyes were still focused on Inoue, itching to get her back to his side. Ulquiorra removed his hand and placed it back in his pocket.

"I am now in the woman's debt."

Both Inoue and Uryu snapped their heads towards the Cuarto Espada.

"But Ulquirra-sa-'' The tower shook violently; but this time, it didn't stop.

-:-:-

ಠ_ಠ

I know, I know, it's been for-freaking-ever. But the damn manga won't show us what happened to Inoue!

Personally, I think it'd be really cool if all of the Espada were reborn in Soul Society. Like, the zanpakuto are supposedly to let spirits "rest" (send them to Soul Society) whether the Hollow is cut down or willingly obliged. And the Espada are still technically Hollows.

I think I'm going to have to make up a random ending, because I really don't know what to do right now. So I'm open to suggestions! Remember, I'm trying to keep Ulquiorra in character, but still be open to Inoue. Ya know?

I can't give you all an official "schedule" for updates. And for that, I'm deeply sorry. But I want to give you all the best stories I can and I feel that they won't be good enough for you if I rush them.

Please review and be patient while I try to think of more story!

xoxo Boww


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